Bourbon Cocktail Kick

I'm a purist mostly. I like my drinks with a glass and whiskey - nothing else. But lately, for whatever reason, I've been on a little cocktail kick - in particular the classics. When I do make a cocktail with good solid whiskey I like to know what I'm drinking. Manhattans and a great Old Fashioned have been my cocktails of choice of late. I've also been making a maple old fashioned that has turned out great.

Any of you guys guys have some good simple cocktail recipes you rely on a lot?

Re: Bourbon Cocktail Kick

Originally Posted by p_elliott

Strangely enough we have a whole forum devoted to this subject.

Yep, you know I posted the darn thing and then immediately thought, "There's a section for this I'm sure". By the time I thought about it though, someone posted and I wasn't sure how to move it. Slight newbie here so I'm sorry for the clutter. I'll be a bit more diligent in reviewing my category options before posting something like this next time.

Re: Bourbon Cocktail Kick

I've added Angostura bitters, Peychaud's and Regans' orange to my bar. I need to find a good vermouth (sweet or dry or both?). But so far I just don't seem to have the touch as a mixologist. However, I recently had two excellent cocktails in New Orleans - a Sazerac at the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel and a Bourbon Milk Punch at the Bourbon House. I'm deferring to the professionals for now.

Re: Bourbon Cocktail Kick

Originally Posted by dean_martin

I've added Angostura bitters, Peychaud's and Regans' orange to my bar. I need to find a good vermouth (sweet or dry or both?). But so far I just don't seem to have the touch as a mixologist. However, I recently had two excellent cocktails in New Orleans - a Sazerac at the Sazerac Bar in the Roosevelt Hotel and a Bourbon Milk Punch at the Bourbon House. I'm deferring to the professionals for now.

Vermouth... for straight forward dry or sweet I prefer Noily Prat.

If you want to kick it up... buy Dolin.

If you WANT to REALLY kick up your red vermouth buy a bottle of Antica. And devour that.

Vermouth does not keep, use it up quickly it goes bad fast. put it in your fridge and get the air out of it, put it in the smallest bottle you can find as you consume it.

a good thing is just to buy very tiny bottles of it and use it up.

My other advice is if you are new to vermouth, don't spend a lot of money at first unless you want to.